The Name Inspector

Is it better to:

-create a name using a combination of existing words? (e.g. MySpace, RadioShack, etc.)

-create a name that doesn't really mean anything to a majority of users (but possibly memorable)? (e.g. Twitter, Tumblr, etc.)

-create a name from existing word(s) but change the spelling for funkiness? (e.g. Digg, Reddit, etc.)

-create a name derived from another language? (e.g. Roku, uh...)

-do something else?

Also, randomly found this too:
clickable: http://www.thenameinspector.com/10-name-types/

I think that it is important to have a story behind the name it doesn't have to be something complex, but a sense of authenticity does come through.

The easiest way to do this (and advice elsewhere here in the comments) is to switch up different descriptors of your idea, businees, etc into something where you can get a free domain.

I did this for my startup, Fabjectory, and it was even written up by The Name Inspector:

http://www.thenameinspector.com/fabjectory/

- Mike

1.) always do your domain searches on http://www.internic.net/whois.html so you can be sure that they're not being registered as you search for them.

2.) Read http://www.thenameinspector.com from beginning to end

3.) Come up with words that describe your ideas then use thesaurus.com

4.) Look to chop words down by syllables and then combine.
ie. a personal bookmarking service or online profile service that was described as "my highlights" would become mylights.com.